Solar Thermal Panels

There are two main ways of harnessing the sunís energy for use in the home

The first is solar thermal, which uses the sunís energy to heat water which compliments a traditional boiler. Solar thermal hot water heating has been used in other European countries for many years but is still seen as being new in the UK. It has been used to great success all over the UK and is now regularly seen on our roof tops especially as all new build properties must now have some form of renewable energy thanks to the Governments recent "code for sustainable homes".

Solar thermal energy is the best known and most
popular form of domestic renewable energy. The sunís
energy is collected by flat plate collectors or evacuated
tubes (usually on the roof) which are orientated towards
the sun in order to warm the propertyís water. Inside the
panels is a glycol mix which acts as anti-freeze in order
to prevent freezing in cold periods whilst preventing
it from boiling in especially hot spells. This hot fluid is
then passed through a twin-coil cylinder (which looks
very similar to traditional hot water cylinders, except
for an additional flow and return that passes through
the cylinder which helps to transfer the free heat from
the sun into the cylinder which would otherwise just be
heated by the boiler.

Manufacturers state that an average property should
receive around 60-70% of the properties total hot water
demands from solar thermal systems. Contrary to
common belief, a lot of solar energy can still be gained
from solar collectors even on cloudy days.